Zelenskyy warns Egypt of food supply threat from Russian Black Sea strikes

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi that Russian strikes on cargo vessels in the Black Sea risk causing serious food supply shortages. Writing on X, Zelenskyy said Ukraine is one of the largest food suppliers to Egypt and many other countries across Africa and the Middle East, and that these supplies are now under serious threat from Russia's war. He noted a significant drop in shipments already, warning of possible price rises and shortages, and said the two countries had agreed to work together on solutions.

Russia on Friday rejected the idea of a Black Sea ceasefire. Foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova accused Ukraine of "brazen acts of terrorism" against shipping, without mentioning Russia's own strikes, and said Moscow saw no grounds for "half-measures" that would give Kyiv a breathing space. Both countries have escalated attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea in recent weeks, pushing global grain prices higher. The rejection followed an earlier Ukrainian proposal, reportedly made through a third party, for both sides to halt attacks on civilian ships to help reopen the grain corridor.

Tensions with Poland, fuel shortages in Russia

Polish officials and researchers say Russia has stepped up disinformation targeting Poland, exploiting a historical dispute over the Volhynia massacres, in which Poland says Ukrainian forces killed around 100,000 Poles between 1943 and 1945. Tensions worsened after Zelenskyy named an army unit after the perpetrators, prompting Polish President Karol Nawrocki to strip him of a top Polish honour in June. The messaging also seeks to stir anger toward refugees as support for the far right grows ahead of Poland's 2027 elections.

Russian authorities acknowledged new fuel shortages in several regions as Ukraine keeps targeting Russian oil refineries. A major refinery in Orsk, some 1,300km from the front, has been shut for six months after an attack this week. In northern Ukraine, Russian jet-powered drones killed a 29-year-old woman and her 9-year-old son, days after the UN reported July was the deadliest month for Ukrainian civilians since the war's early weeks, with at least 437 killed and 2,610 wounded. Romania said a second drone was found in its territory near the Danube border. Russian President Vladimir Putin told North Korean leader Kim Jong-un the two countries were cooperating closely across all areas.